A few years back, Goth Metal band My Chemical Romance released a song called “I’m Not Okay”. Not a song that everyone loves, but the premise that it is acceptable to tell people that life isn’t as much fun as it should be right now has a lot going for it. Keeping a stiff upper lip and battling through works for some people some of the time, but it is certainly not the best way for the most of us.

However, before you can get around to admitting to anyone that your life isn’t currently as great as it could be, you have to realise this yourself. This realisation can arrive in many ways. It might be a subtle, gradual loss of interest in something that normally consumes your attention.
“Hm, it has been a while since I picked up my guitar…”

It might be rather more dramatic, such as finding yourself on the roof of a tall building and realising that on a different day you might not have taken the stairs back down again.

The road back again varies in length and difficulty, and there is a lot of help out there. There are also a lot of little, easy things that you can do to enhance your Wellbeing:

• Talk to someone. It could be a friend, colleague, relative, etc. There is no need to go into details that you are not happy to share, but just opening up a bit, admitting that you are not totally okay, can really help.
• Animals are great listeners. The University has therapy dog sessions, and there really is something special about quietly sharing your troubles with a dozing Labrador. Alternatively, one of my favourites is to spend a few minutes by the pond, feeding a handful of fish food pellets with the fish. The enthusiasm of their greeting will depend on the weather (they go to sleep when it is cold), but they are a fabulous distraction.
• Getting outdoors and doing something physical is a great way of destressing. A bit of jogging (Couch to 5k?) can do wonders…
• as can a spot of lunchtime gardening. For the casual gardener, you could join members of the Sustainability Team in the Johnson Wellbeing Garden for Thursday lunchtimes. We have a long list of jobs that need doing, from gentle weeding to heavy digging. Both provide an excellent change of pace in a hectic working day, and you will also learn that merely disturbing a patch of earth will win you new friends – the resident Robin and Blackbirds will soon arrive, looking for an easy feast.
• If you find that a lunchtime gardening break is enjoyable, why not take on a mini (roughly 1m x 2m) allotment? Recruit some colleagues to help. You can grow just about anything, maybe flowers, or a mixture of your favourite vegetables. We currently have several available, so get in touch if you want me to sign you up.

A mixture of the above have all helped me from time to time, I am happy to admit that.

If you are passing the pond and see an odd-looking man in a Star Wars t-shirt feeding the fish, come and say hello. You can feed the fish with me.

Meanwhile, I will return to working out if I can justify getting another guitar. I want to play again. Maybe I will learn to play “I’m Not Okay”!

John Hills, Sustainability Projects Officer

Pic: The Johnson Wellbeing Garden Robin guarding my can of Coke.